250-3000 or 6.5x55 gets my vote(s).

i've always leaned toward the 257 robert's i have to admit i don't own one yet but a friend has one and i like his alot and it's capable of hunting deer and the recoil is minable.In a couple of years i'm buying one for my nephew in a couple of years probally a savage

Well, having too much time to think, I've been reconsidering getting the CZ carbine in 7..62x39 for my daughter and wife to use. I'm thinking that If I play my cards right, I'll be able to set up a nice light-recoiling deer rifle and end up with a coyote rifle for me at the same time. So, I've been looking at some other calibers: 250 Savage, 257 Roberts, and 260 Rem. I just thought about the 6.5x55 as I'm typing as well. Any of these will be better calibers for deer. The various 6mm's do nothing for me, and the 7-08 is not different enough from the 308 to give it a significant reduction in recoil.

I'm completely unfamiliar with any of these beyond what the ballistics data shows. I've been thinking about a 25-06 or a 6.5-06 for coyotes/deer, but I think one like this will effectively duplicate that round and still be shootable for the girls. So, which one is the more universal caliber? I'm leaning towards the 260, just because I've always liked the 6.5 bore, but am open to suggestions and opinions. It seems that the 6.5 bore has more bullets that will work better at lower velocites, as one would load for kids' use, too - but that might just be incomplete research on my end.

I will be putting it into a fairly light rifle - maybe 7 lbs with a 22" bbl so those with less upper body strength will be able to shoot offhand better. Rifle make and model to be determined, but it will have either a wood or laminated stock so I can change the length of pull to meet needs. All ammunition will be handloaded, but the availablilty and variety of retail ammo will definitely be a factor in case I'm not able to get things loaded when they need it. I've already got a compact Nikon 2-7 scope that will be going on it. I'm not sure which cartridge will be most compatible with this rifle weight and barrel length, though. Anyone shooting these in various configurations want to chime in with their results? thanks, maxman

Maxman---Sounds to me you are really looking for a rifle for yourself rather than for your wife and daughter. If that really is the case--buy two rifles--yours and theirs. 6mm's dont do anything for you---but a .243 would be a good selection for the wife and daughter. The 25-06 with a 120 grain bullet will be right there with a .270 with 130 grain bullet as far as recoil is concerned and perhaps more blasty? Not good things for women and children. The .257 Roberts is not all that far behind a 25-06 in velocity but is a lot more pleasant shooting. If you really want your wife and daughter to be interested,get them something pleasant to shoot. You didnt mention the age of your daughter. I started my grandson shooting at age 7. This was .22 centerfires. He took his first deer at age 9---using .22 centerfire. At age 11 I moved him up to .243 and that's what he still uses. He is now 15 and this year has taken a 10 pointer and a nub buck. He has gotten atleast one deer every year since he started. He now has enough size that I want to give him a .308 I have---NOT that the .243 has not served him well,I happen to have a classic .308 I think he'd like. In fact,even up trade, I'd trade that .308 for a .243 same rifle.

Maxman--Another thing I failed to mention--if you select one that is too much of a boomer for your wife and daughter,you can tame it down greatly using cast bullets.

Here in MN, it has to be .24 caliber or larger for big game, so all the .22's are out. In my opinion (and I'm sure this will cause some outcry), the 243 should be used primarily as a varmint gun, with occasional deer use if necessary. That said, the next step up is either a quarter bore or a 6.5mm. These are better deer calibers and are still not too much for coyotes, IMHO. The girls do real well with the SKS, but it is quite muzzle heavy. I'm thinking that a smaller bore size with the same ~125 gr bullet weight at near the same velocity will give them better terminal performance than the stubby .30 cals in the 7.62x39, with the same recoil level. Plus, I could be able to use it as well if loaded to higher velocities (even with a shorter stock). In the land of not-ever-enough-cash-to-buy-all-the-guns-I-want, it would be nice to make this a true multi-purpose rifle.

My daughter, age 15, has tried most of the standby youth rounds we have available: 7.62x39, 30-30, lightly loaded 308, etc. The only one she liked was the 7.62x39. She'll shoot a 357 mag revolver with no worries, but the rifle she is more sensitive about. She does not like the lever action in general, so I'm down to an auto or a bolt, and any new bolt action in any of these calibers will be more accurate than the SKS. It's not a bad gun, but I want something she can use more easily - lighter and less muzzle heavy with more range than the 7.62x39 cartridge. maxman

Maxman--I realize the deer in MN generally are much larger than the ones here in Texas. Certainly not to flame with you about the .243----have you seen deer with a well placed shot,that got away? That really was a stupid question on my part as how do you know if it was well placed if he got away? I do realize your mind is made up and I'm not going to change it--nor would I want to. The only thing about comparing what will do what that I have found to be true is that you don't know until you pull the trigger. I'd bet heavier on a .22rimfire with a well placed shot than a magnum with a poorly placed shot. Select something they are comfortable shooting. BTW I was in MN once and found it to be a beautiful state. I was impressed with how clean the countryside seemed to be. Like the farms were groomed. Never saw so many American flags flying in any other state--and this was well before 9-11.

Don't dismiss the 25 WSSM, which is one heck of a cartridge. The Winchester and Browning rifles with those super short actions are really sweet. This last year I bought a Browning in 223Rem in the super short action; my 12 year old daughter loved shooting ground squirrels with it. It is small enough for my daughter, yet big enough for me to use.

I have the ballistic twin to the 25 WSSM in a 257 Ackley Improved. They are mild recoiling and have enough bullet to get the job done on anything up to deer. It is the gun I loaned to a neighbor boy who went hunting this year for the first time. He drilled two shots into a nice 3X4 mulie, the shots were a half inch apart right through the vitals.

Aaron

If you have an adversion to .243 caliber than if you can get a 250-3000 or a 257 Roberts that's the way to go. These actions normally are shorter and lighter than anything chambering the 25-06.If you strike out finding either of these two in a hunting weight rifle than get the 25-06 and load it down some. Even the .257 can be loaded down some and produce acceptable deer killing performance. There are a lot of reduced load buffs that participate on this forum.Have fun making your selection. roger

Carpetman - no harm done, no offence taken. Glad you have had good luck using the smaller calibers - I know the hot 22's are popular down there. Glad you liked MN. It's been good to me. I've never been to TX, but plan to remedy that soon. There has to be a way to get to the gulf for some fishing soon! maxman

Originally, I was going to get the CZ carbine in 7.62x39 for the kids and myself a 25-06, but that was a lot of $. So, I started thinging about some smaller calibers that would be good for them to use as well as me - trying to kill two birds with the one stone. A short action it will have to be, hence trying to pick between the 250 Savage (250-3000), 257 Roberts, and 260 Rem. It's not been easy so far. I wonder if seafire has done anything with reduced loads in his 260? I can't recall any threads on that subject. The 250 Savage is a good one, but might not be as flexible as the 260. Oh hell, I don't know.... I guess I'll have to think longer and see what kinds of hardware I can actually get my hands on - that might be the determining factor, unless I can stumble across a new Ruger in 257 Roberts. The 260 should be easy enough to find.



Aaron - the 25 WSSM is a possibility, if it likes to play with a 22" bbl. Again, I don't know much about this one. What kind of magazine capacity does your rifle have? Does it feed those really short rounds well? maxman

Er, ah, lots of posts around here about the CZ in 7.62x39(Gag!), all the news seems to be good.

I dunno how your ladies really feel about recoil, or if you really want to reload or not...I'm not big on factory stuff nor does recoil bother me. SO DON'T LISTEN TO ME!

.250-3000. Find a used 700 ADL in .22-250 and rebarrel, or Maybe one of their classics in the .250. With Varmint weights it will trot along with the 6mm, and outrun the .243 with a 100 gr bullet. 10" twist or faster...

My choice of guns might be the TC Encore, but I've never used one. The Contender Carbines are size and weight perfect but don't chamber for your choices. Mebbe the G2 does?

There is no doubt in my mind what I would do if I were in your shoes. It would be a 260 Rem. I had shot a 308 Win. for many years, and am still a big fan of it. But after shooting the 260 for the past three years, it is fast gaining on the 308 in my book. The 260 will shoot very well with anything from the 85 gr. Sierra HP Varminter to the 140 gr. bullets out of the factory 1 in 9 twist barrels. You could easily hand load it with something like the Nosler 100 gr. Ballistic Tip or any of the 120 gr. bullets and have a light recoiling cartridge very capable of hammering deer. I have killed several deer with 120 gr. bullets @ 2950 to 3000 fps depending on the load I was using at the time. Of those deer not one of them has taken a step after being hit. With a 85 to 90 gr. bullet you have a very hard hitting coyote rifle. The light bullets would be a great way to introduce the ladies to the rifle. That is what I did with my wife. Started her off with the 85 gr. Sierra and worked her up to the 120 gr. bullets. The 260 is very easy to get to shoot good with hand loads. There are a lot of powders that work very well. If the 260 has a down side, it would be if you are not a hand loader. Just not a lot of different factory loads out there for the 260.

RiverRat

Maxman, if you have an aversion to the .243, you're headed in the right direction. I have been a big fan of the 7-08 since way back when it was still a wildcat. I have often said it is all the rifle one would need especially if all of his hunting was done east of the big river.
Well, since moving to West Virginia I have done some hunting with a .260. I have really been surprised. I don't have any of the arm chair numbers about bc and such but I do know the 6.5 kills all out of proportion to its size. I have killed 3 deer this year with a .260 and a 140gr Rem core lokt bullet(longest shot 243 yards) and each was hammered down on the spot. And to use Ray Atkinson's words, "you could eat right up to the hole".
I see a model 7 (or its ilk) with a nice 1.5x6 scope. Buy the standard model and then buy a cadet stock for when your wife or kid is using it. The reason I can be so definitive about it is I have that exact set-up but in a 7-08. It is sweet.

What?? No love for the 6.5x55? I am tossing around the same questions in my head trying to decide between the 257 roberts, the 25 06, the 6.5x55 and the 260 rem (a little) and possibly even the 7x57. But I do have a .243 and one 7x57 as it is, so maybe the 257 is too close to the 243, the 25 06 has too much muzzle blast, so maybe the 6.5x55 is the way to go. Had a sported one I sold, but the fella is sending it back so maybe that is a "sign". I would love to read some comments yea or nay on the 6.5 vs the other calibers mentioned...